The president of an independent insurance agents association urged southern governors yesterday to use their influence to bring a fragmented insurance industry together to develop workable solutions to local risk issues.

Alex Soto, president of the Alexandria, Va.-based Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, made his remarks during a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the Southern Governors Association in Biloxi, Miss., according to a report released by his organization.

Mr. Soto, president of the Miami-based insurance agency InSource Inc., represented the agent's association on the panel presented by Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.

Others on the panel were:

o Brian W. MacLean, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Travelers Insurance.

o William R. Berkley, chairman and chief executive officer of W.R. Berkley Corp.

o Paula Rosput Reynolds, president and CEO of Safeco Corp.

"The insurance industry is neither monolithic nor monopolistic, and the industry, with thousands of different companies, is actively competitive in most parts of the country," said Mr. Soto according to excerpts of his remarks furnished by the IIABA.

Active competition, he said, is "not the case along the coast, and we need to find ways to restore competition and bring more companies back for our insurance customers."

He pointed out that the companies that have remained in the coastal states are often bashed and beaten up by public officials and the press. However, it is the companies who have left our coastal states and abandoned our customers that should feel the heat, he noted.

Mr. Soto expressed the need for governors to use their bully pulpits to bring together the top leaders in the industry to put together proposals that work for their constituents and independent agents customers.

"Right now, the prospects for broad legislation in Washington are not great, largely because of a fragmented industry," he said. "You have the power to bring those leaders together in your state."

He also noted that a proposal in Congress to create a commission to make recommendations to address the natural catastrophe issues could be an important impetus to solving some large problems.

Mr. Soto pointed out that IIABA supports the work of the Southern Governors Association and encourages Congress to embrace the SGA's proposal for the marketplace.

The SGA, in a resolution, has called on Congress to create a reasonably priced national reinsurance program supported by actuarially sound premiums to provide relief to American homeowners and lower insurance premiums.

The IIABA noted it also supports other proposals that will help bring new markets, and keep markets, in coastal and disaster prone areas.

Mr. Soto outlined the benefits of effective land-use and land-management requirements, the need to enact and enforce building codes, and the recently released Institute for Business & Home Safety study as evidence of the need for better building codes and enforcement of the codes. Mr. Soto also explained the need to strengthen existing homes and the need to find ways to help consumers get this done.

"There needs to be a private-public partnership to share the risks," said Mr. Soto.

Special Reports /

Use Clout To Fix Insurance, IIABA President Urges Southern Govs.

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